Coventry: developer drives mixed-use vision for Daimler Wharf

Plans are being drawn up to transform an industrial park in Coventry into a vibrant living, work and leisure development.

Warwickshire-based developers and property owners The Wigley Group have master-planned the Sandy Lane Industrial Estate and plan to create around 200 homes on the site which borders the Coventry Canal.

Daimler Wharf would include a mix of houses, apartments, employment spaces as well as cafes and outdoor leisure spaces and would also open up the canal-side for local residents.

James Davies, managing director of the Wigley Group, said: “This is a key site with great potential, sitting as it does alongside Coventry Canal. A great deal of regeneration has been undertaken in recent years with the creation of Electric Wharf next door and City Wharf on the opposite bank of the canal, and we see this as the next step in helping to transform the area.

“Plans are still at a very early stage but we want to maintain employment on the site but then create a mix of housing and also provide some leisure including café bars and open public spaces, both of which are lacking in the area.”

The site is home to the Daimler building – one of the first car factories in the world – which is being transformed into the Daimler Powerhouse arts complex for artists, engineers,
architects and other creative industries by Imagineer Productions.

The new Daimler Wharf plans will be showcased at MIPIM – the world’s biggest property development and investment show this month.

The Wigley Group is a member of the Coventry and Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership and will be part of the Midlands presence at the event next week in Cannes, France.